Tale of Zane: Second of a LEGO Ninjago Trilogy
by TLFScarheart12
Summary: A sneezefic. Zane Tells Kai about nearly drowning and The lesson he learns from it.
1. Chapter 1: Ninja of Ice Catches a Cold

The discussion from before continued over a delicious meal of Sashimi. The cool fish tasted especially good after training on a fairly hot day.

"So what else happened before I came along?" Kai asked. Cole's story about the Kaiden was incredible and Kai wondered what else the team had fought and learned.

Zane's sixth sense must have picked up on the first of these, for he said, "It wasn't always a great creature we fought. Sometimes the battle and the lesson learned was within up. That's what happened to me."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"For me my greatest lesson came when the monster was fear...Fear of the reactions of those I was close too. Though thinking back inexperience may well had been a close ally." Zane said a little sadly.

"Not to mention mother nature. If we hadn't found you when we did you probably would have ended up with more than a cold," Jay added.

"A cold?" Kai exclaimed, again getting ahead of himself, "Zane we all get one from time to time. I don't see how that could have caused some great disaster that teaches a lesson."

Kai then noticed his fellow ninjas. Their expressions told him he was wrong. Something he didn't know was playing into effect.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I spoke too soon again didn't I?"

"You're forgiven. I'll tell you my story, Kai, and you can understand what we mean and learn from your mistake," Said Zane sitting back to begin his story.

This happened several months after Cole's ordeal. The three were back training together.

Zane in particular enjoyed the time they spent both in training and in socalizing. The truth was he had never been able to stay anyplace for too long and had never been as close to anyone as he was to these 2. But Zane worried how long it would last how long until...

"AH-TCHOO! AH-TCHOO! ah-tchoo!" This confirmed it. Waking up with a headache and sore throat now this. Zane knew he was sick.

I can't let the others see this, Zane thought to himself, If I can hide it, it'll run its course and no one will be the wiser.  
>Coughing slightly he dressed and went to find the others for breakfast.<p>

"Good morning Zane!" Jay waved to him, "You slept in quite a bit. Your rice and miso is almost cold."

"Sorry," Zane apologized sitting down to eat. He was grateful for the miso soup to help his throat a little, "Cole's already...AH-TCHOO!...excuse me...Cole's already outside?"

"Yeah. We're just waiting on you, sleepy head. Your throat sounds dry. Let me make you some tea," Jay offered.

Tea would have also been nice for his throat but Zane said, "No thanks Jay. I don't want to keep everyone more than I already have."

"Drink some water at least," Jay instructed getting him a cup of cold water.

Zane accepted this time.

So far Jay seemed completely unaware of Zane's sickness. Jay didn't even realize that what he was giving him was helping him.

Zane smiled. It was going to be okay.

Zane's plan worked fine up until the first attempt at the training course. By now Zane was longing for a moment away to clear his throat with a good cough, but there was no time for that. Sensei Wu came out with his usual tea set to time them. The three started before he even sat down.

They had devised a new plan to beat it even faster, and Zane was doing his best to do his part. But a rising poll knocked him off his feet and onto the ground. The impact unleashed the coughing fit he had been holding in.

"Fail!" Sensei Wu announced. But rather than immediately starting his next cup of tea he waited as Cole and Jay went to help Zane.

Zane noticed the concern in their faces and said, "I'm fine. I just had the wind knocked out of me."

"You sure, Zane? You look a little pale," Cole said.

Before Zane could give another excuse Sensei Wu called him forward. Zane walked up to the elderly Spinjitsu master the other tailing close.

"Zane, one of these days each of you will specialize in a weapon. Can you tell me who will possess what weapon?"

Zane swallowed hard and concentrated. But his illness had made it hard for him to sense things.

"You don't know, do you Zane?" Sensei asked.

"No Sensei..." Zane admitted humbly.

"Until you can answer my question, you are not allowed to train with your follow ninjas. You all may take a small break. I'm sure you three will want to talk about this," Said Sensei Wu before returning into the Dojo. He had left behind his tea set to show he'd be back.


	2. Chapter 2: LEaving his friends

"That seems kind of harsh," Kai said as Zane paused to his to eat a bit.

"Actually it was quite wise of Sensei," said Jay, "It not only forced him to get the rest he needed, but it also alerted us that something was wrong. We've tested his sixth sense anytime we think something s wrong with Zane since that day."

"Really?" Kai asked.

"Works like a charm, so why stop?" Cole said.

"You see, Kai, sicknesses make it harder for me to use my sixth sense," Zane explained, "Even though Cole and Jay didn't know that at the time, they knew that if I couldn't sense the answer that something was wrong..."

Zane stood there. He couldn't believe this was happening. How did Sensei Wu know he couldn't use his gift?

Jay and Cole quickly came to Zane's side.

"You couldn't sense the answer! You couldn't even try! I don't think I've ever seen a seer dumbfounded before!" Jay exclaimed.

"Zane, are you okay?" Cole asked worriedly.

Zane couldn't answer. He didn't know whether to keep hiding this or if it was already too late. And anyway he felt some sneezes coming on. If he let too many symptoms out, there'd be no doubt that he was sick.

Jay put a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Zane talk to us. What's wrong with you? Why couldn't you answer Sensei? What's Wrong with your sixth sence?"

Zane looked the other way and just ended up looking at Cole.

"Come on, you can tell us. We'll do what we can to-"

Before Cole could finish Zane found he couldn't hold them in any longer. "ah-tchoo! AH-tchoo! AH-TCHOO! ah-tchoo! ah-tchoo!...excuse me..."

Zane panted when he finished. Jay and Cole had recoiled during the fit but instantly came back to his side. Zane felt Jay's hand on his forehead.

"Your forehead's hot! You're sick! Why didn't you tell us? Actually, don't answer that now. We need to get you inside. It looks like it's going to rain," Jay babbled.

The two quickly escorted Zane to his room. Jay felt his forehead again and looked at his throat as well as asked him several questions concerning his sickness. Zane continued to cough and sneeze as he answered Jay's questions. Cole stood in the door way checking out the window from time to time to make sure Sensei Wu wasn't waiting for them.

"I don't think it's anything more than a cold," Jay concluded, "The best thing is to get rest."

"Sensei will be out again soon. We need to meet him." Cole said.

Zane nodded and coughed but in his mind he was calculating how long he had to escape. It had happened before. Communities would learn about his abilities as a seer and respect him for it. This would go on for months and a few times a year or so. But once an illness blocked his power they decided he was a fake mooching off of them. Zane would be unable to reason with them and forced to leave before the crowds got ugly. Zane couldn't bear to see it happen with the first friends he'd had in decades. He wanted to run now before he had to face that.

As soon as Cole and Jay were out of his room he quickly and quietly gathered his things and slipped out of the dojo heading in the opposite of town. Fate would tell him where he would go next.


	3. Chapter 3: Facing the Wilderness

"Zane...people really treated you like that?" Kai asked.

Zane nodded. "The Sixth Sence is not well understood, Kai. I doubt it will ever be."

"I'm sorry. You don't deserve that kind of treatment form anyone," said Kai kindly.

"Thanks," Zane said softly.

"Zane's day got worse from there," said Cole sharing the sympathy, "Like Jay said it's lucky we showed up when we did."

"Also lucky that I work with inventions a lot. Knew exactly how to get to him quickly," Jay added.

"So what happened?" Kai asked.

"I chose to follow the river. I had always had good luck with finding towns when I followed a river..."

The rain had already started by the time Zane was down the mountain. He felt considerably worse, not to mention cold and wet. His body seemed to agree about getting worse as his coughs and sneezes began to grow worse. But he forced himself to get going. he had to get as far away as he could.

The rain continued to fall. After hours Zane s legs began to hurt and he felt tired enough to fall asleep then and there. The only thing that was worse than all that was the mud. The heavy rain was making the banks slippery. The banks were getting higher above the river too to the point where caves dotted the bank's side.

Finally at one point Zane could not go any further. He just felt too sick, sore, and cold. He found a tree to lean against and began to drift, but it being autumn, the leaves did not prove to be much shelter. Zane awoke hours later more soaked and cold, though slightly more rested. It wasn't that which worried him though. He heard footsteps. He couldn't let anyone see him yet. Zane quickly stood and started to run along side the river hoping not to run into who the footsteps belonged to.

That soon became the least of his problems. Zane slipped in the mud under him and fell into the rushing river.  
>Zane only just managed to surface. He grasped and grabbed onto a log and held on for dear life. the river pushed it and him several meters before the log finally caught between two rocks.<p>

The log was weak though and the water was causing it it crack. Zane knew it would be all over if it broke while he was holding on. he quickly looks around trying to find some way to save himself.

"ZANE!"

Zane turned to the sound of his name being called. Clinging to the tall banks waving to him were Cole and Jay.

"Hang tight! We'll get to you!" Cole shouted.

Cole then secured himself with a rope and tied the other end to an exposed root. Jay pulled the root back and Cole put his feet on it. Jay then let go and Cole was projected and great speed towards Zane. He landed with a splash near Zane and grabbed him tight and gave the rope two jerks. Jay worked quickly pulling the two towards the edge of the river where they could climb out. Jay jumped down to meet them.

"Zane are you okay?" Cole asked anxiously.

"Better than I would have been if...AH-TCHOO!...excuse me. If you two had not come," Zane replied with a sneeze, "Thanks you two. But I need to go,"

"Oh, no!" said Jay, "Not after all we went through to find you. And anyway you're still sick. There's a cave upstream a ways. We'll stay in there until the rain stops.

The two lead him to the cave. It was cold and they had no dry wood for a fire, but at least here the rain wasn't pouring on them, and they were able to change into dry clothes, including an extra outfit they had brought for when they found Zane.

Cole then leaned Zane against a flat rock and produced a large kimono to use as a blanket.

"I...AH-TCHOO! AH-TCHOO! AH-tchoo! ah-tchoo!...excuse me...I still can't use my gift...ah-tchoo!" Zane managed to get out though a brigade of sneezes.

"I know Zane. We'll talk about that later. Try to get some sleep," Cole instructed.

Zane nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't know what would happen next but after that ordeal, he knew he couldn't face it without first getting some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Back Among Friends

"Should have known the rivier would do that. Nia and my dad always told us to be careful around the river when we were growing up," Kai said.

"I was doing what I felt was best at the time. It never occurred to me that the rain would make it slippery," Zane said.

"The important thing was that we got to him in time," said Cole.

"And that he was finally ready to be open with us again," Jay added "I had no reason to continue to hide anything.

Those two had done what no one had ever done for me before...They came to find me," Zane continued.

When Zane awoke it was already dark. He sat up slowly and looked towards the others relieved that they were still there.

His companions turned as Zane began to cough again. They came close and sat around him to talk.

"Do you feel any better?" Cole asked.

Zane shook his head.

"Then stay wrapped up," said Cole wrapping the large kimono around him.

"Thanks," said Zane, "How did...AH-TCHOO! AH-TCHOO!...excuse me. How did you two find me?"

"After training we went to your room to see if you needed anything. We saw all your things gone and realized you'd left," said Jay, "It was already raining hard so you were leaving footprints everywhere you went. We followed the footprints until we saw where you'd slipped. from there we followed the river until we found you. Looks like we got there just in time. I mean if we hadn't shown up, you'd probably have drowned."

"Now for the important question," Cole said sternly, "Why did you run away? Jay and I have been worried sick...no joke intended."

"I was afraid," Zane said quietly.

"Of what?" Cole asked.

"Of what you guys would think of me with my sixth sense gone. AH-TCHOO! It's never been treated with kindness before. No one has ever believed me when I've...AH-TCHOO! AH-TCHOO!...I've told them getting sick makes it hard for me to sense things, but they don't believe me, and it's always been met with anger...I...AH-TCHOO! I've always had to run when it was found out. I thought it would be the same here." Zane admitted sneezing quite a bit.

"Zane, we'd never think that," Jay told him, "When we saw that something was wrong with your sixth sense we were more worried than anything else. And for a good reason it turned out. You've got the worst cold I've ever seen! I know the rain didn't help, and neither did the river, but still-"

"What Jay is trying to say Zane," Cole interrupted, "That we would rather try to find a way to fix your power than get angry about it. And in this case that means helping you get over your cold."

"I see that now...I'm sorry," said Zane before coughing hard again.

"It okay, Zane. We'll get you back to the dojo when the rain stops. You just keep resting until then," Cole instructed.  
>Zane nodded and lay down again.<p>

"There's not much more to tell," Zane concluded, "The next day the rain stopped and they helped me back to the dojo. I rested there for several days trying to shake off the damage I'd done by running off in the rain and getting stuck in the river."

"We helped out whenever we weren't training. We brought him healing herbs, tea, meals, made sure he was warm enough, talked to keep him company, anything we could do." Jay said.

"And his sixth sense did come back obviously," Kai said.

Zane nodded. "About 10 days later I was well enough to answer Sensei's question correctly and allowed to train again."

"Anyway the story is finished. Who's turn is it to do dishes?" Cole asked.

"Mine" Kai said standing and gathering the platters, "but afterwards Jay better be ready to tell me his story."


End file.
